Framus Panthera Studio Custom Electric Guitar Review
IF YOU WERE PLAYING guitar in the Fifties and Sixties, you probably remember Framus guitars. Framus (short for Franconian Musical Instruments) was one of the earliest electric guitar producers and, by the mid Sixties, had become Europe’s largest guitar manufacturer. Unfortunately, industry pressures forced Framus to close its doors in 1975, but not before Framus founder, Alfred Wilfer, had instilled in his son, Hans, a similar passion for music and manufacturing.
Hans Peter Wilfer followed in his father’s footsteps when he created the Warwick Bass Company. Warwick’s universal success and recognition as one of the world finest high-end bass manufacturers made it possible for Hans Peter to revive his father’s Framus Company in 1995. Since then, Framus guitars have enjoyed only a minor presence in the United States, but Hans hopes to change that with the finely crafted Panthera Studio Custom. It’s not a retro guitar in the classic sense, yet it feels and sounds like a long-stored heirloom, in all the best ways.
FEATURES
A TONEWOOD’S DENSITY, moisture and grain strength are the determinants of response and resonance. At Framus, these factors are measured and managed by special machinery at several points in the manufacturing process. Additionally, the wood on all Framus guitars is uniquely cured and dried by the Bavarian mountain climate over a period of several years. These dynamics produce wood tones that cannot be easily replicated anywhere else in the world. So while the Panthera is no lilting daisy, its substantial weight—about 9 1/4 pounds—contributes to its sound production.
An ample mahogany body creates the Panthera’s fundamental tones, and a massive portion of stained curly maple provides deeply brilliant highs. Another example of Framus’ superior wood stores is the solid Ovangkol neck. This thick piece of exotic wood is naturally finished, rounded to fill the hand and tapered generously. The hybrid neck joint is a Framus original the copy calls “bolt-in”: two of the four screws are hidden under the neck pickup. This complicated junction offers the tonal properties of bolt-on and a glued set neck while it provides superior strength.
To ensure that this guitar plays as well as it looks, the Panthera’s 22 frets are finished by a custom made computer-controlled Plek machine. Only a few Pleks exist, and they happen to be made in—yeah, you guessed it— Germany. After this apparatus services a guitar, the frets and setup are as close to numerically perfect as is possible.
The pickups’ switching and controls don’t follow any American standards, but they are logical in operation. The controls consist of a master volume and tone, a three-way switch and push-pull pots to split the humbuckers to single-coils. When the neck humbucker is split, a third knob serves as a blend control for the middle and neck pickups. And, then there’s my favorite control: the hard bypass. This powerful toggle increases output and purity by providing a direct link from the pickups to the output jack. As on most Framus guitars, the pickups are all Duncans, and the locking tuners are made in-house.
PERFORMANCE
I CAN’T POINT TO specific qualities in the Panthera’s acoustic tone that define its ethos. Instead, it’s the huge soundstage, balance, range and dynamics that set it apart from so many other guitars. When the tone and volume controls are in the circuit, notes are round, thick and spacious. Classic rock and metal are aided by the ebony’s rapid treble release, and jazz chords easily reach across a wide spectrum of harmonic octaves. Clean tones, especially, benefit from the middle pickup’s blend control.
Beautiful as these tones are, the full potential of the Panthera Studio Custom becomes apparent only when the tone controls are deactivated. Bypassing the tone and volume pots unleashes a raw rush of inspiring sonic splendor. These are the untamed tones made possible by Framus’ special construction and exotic woods, and they justify the guitar’s name and its association to the great wild cats.
THE BOTTOM LINE
INSTEAD OF RECOMMENDING the Panthera to a specific style or generation of players, I urge anyone who appreciates a fine instrument to sit with this guitar. Old-world craftsmanship, precision German engineering and specially aged tone woods make the Panthera Studio Custom unlike any guitar manufactured in the United States or Japan. Though much of the guitar’s design—including the bolt-in neck and Plek-leveled frets—is fresh and innovative, its culmination of traditional details and unequaled constitution give Framus’ Panthera Studio Custom the vibe of an antique hot rod. A great website to find guitar reviews is Guitar World. Thanks to Guitar World for the opportunity to share the report.